When Michael Chour found the dog on the side of the road in Thailand, he was skinny, dehydrated and couldn’t even walk. It looked like the dog was close to death.

Chour, who is originally from France, has been living in Thailand for over 13 years, caring for hundreds of street dogs. So when Chour found this dog, whom he later named Chack Chack, he knew he had to help.

He asked some locals about Chack Chack, and they told him that he’d originally come from a local dog meat farm. When the Thai government enacted an animal welfare act in 2014 that made the dog meat trade illegal, the farm shut down, and Chack Chack was set loose. A man briefly adopted Chack Chack, according to Chour, but he ended up abandoning him.

From then on, Chack Chack lived on the streets, getting the occasional meal from a villager. But without regular, nutritious food and veterinary care, Chack Chack got sick — so sick, he lost his mobility.

“People were afraid of him,” Chour told The Dodo. “He couldn’t walk. He was dying.”

Chour was cautious when he approached Chack Chack — he didn’t know if he was friendly or not. But Chour quickly realized that he had nothing to worry about.

“I saw in his eyes that he just needed me to help him, so I took him in my arms,” Chour said. “He was in too much pain to eat, but he drank a lot. I just stayed for hours with him on my lap.”

Chour also took Chack Chack to a vet, where he was treated for dehydration and malnutrition. The vet also diagnosed Chack Chack with cerebral ehrlichiosis, a disease that was affecting his nervous system and preventing him from walking.

Besides Chack Chack, Chour cares for about 500 street dogs in Thailand, giving them food, water and veterinary care, including vaccinations and spay and neutering. To help dogs like Chack Chack and the others Chour watches over — and to help Chour build a shelter for street dogs — you can make a donation. You can also follow Chour’s rescue work on his Facebook page, The Sound of Animals.